Method of expanding metal.



No. 783,952. .PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

G. J. W. HAYES.

METHODOP EXPANDING METAL.

APPLICATION FILED mm: a. 1904.

WITNESCFES IIVVENTOR a BY Patented February .Bfii, 198mb.

PATEW Fll ElEt CHARLES J. N. HAYES, ()F DEROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNCR TU ll-tA NK l CLEVELAND, TRUSTEE, OF DE'ITROII, MlCI-llCAN.

METHOD OF EXPANDING IVIlEI'l'fi il...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,952, dated February28, 1905.

Application filed June 9, 1904.. Serial No. 211,777.

To all Iv/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cn'AuLns J. \V. HAYES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Nayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methodsof Expanding Metal, of which the following is a specilication, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings. I The invention relatesto the manufacture of expanded metal; and it consists in the improvedmethod of manufacture whereby the product is formed more expeditiously,with lesser expenditure of power, and with longer life of the machineemployed.

l leretofore metallicsheets have been expanded by different methods, oneof which to first slit the sheet and subsequently to expand it bydrawing the opposite edges of the sheet apart. Another method employedis to simultaneously cut and expand the sheet by dies and punches. Bothmethods have their peculiar disadvantages and objections, which it isthe object of the present invention to 2 5 overcome. in particular themethod of expanding by drawing apart the edges of the sheet has thedisadvantage that the sheet must be slitted in a peculiar manner, thedifferent slits running at angles to each other instead 3 of beingarranged parallel. Moreover, the expanding is not as satisfactory bythis method as where the metal is turned by mechanical pressure. Themethod of simultaneously cutting and expanding the sheets has thedisadvantage that a considerable force is required to actuate the seriesof punches required for this operation. Furthermore, the length of theexpanded sheet is dependent upon the number of punches in the usual typeof ma 4- chine where the sheets are fed across the machine and istherefore necessarily limited.

With my improved method the metallic sheet is lirst slittedlongitudinally and in any length desired, and is subserpiently expandedby lateral pressure upon the individual strands.

During the slitting operation the sheet is simultaneously intended todeflect one edge of each strand, and in the subsequent operation an ilof expanding these deflected strands form shoulders for holding theunex imnded portion 5 of the sheet during the operation on anotherportion of the sheet.

In the drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic plan illustrating the lirststep in the manufacture of the expanded metal. Fig. A is a plan viewillustrating the second step in the process. Fig. 3 is a [)tBl'SlNEClElVGVlOWllll1S- trating the manner of holding the slitted sheetduring the operation of expanding. Fig. l; is a longitudinal sectionthrough a portion of 0 Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross'scetion through thecutter.

In the first step of the process a sheet of metal, such as A, isslitted. This is preferably accomplished by passingit between pairs 5 ofrollers B and B, which are formed of a. series of cutting-disks (l and1). These disks are formed to siiimltaneously slit the metal and todepress one edge of the slitted portion, as illustrated in Fig. Thelength of the indi- 7 vidual slits corresponds to the length of thestrands in the meshes of the expanded sheet, and, if desired, theperiphery of the disks a may be divided into a plurality of sections,each corresponding in length to the strands. Thus the sheet A may be fedbetween the rolls B and B, with the result that it is uniformly slittedand indented. In the second step of the process the slitted sheet isexpanded by lateral pressure upon the individual strands. This ispreferably accomplished, by intermittently feeding the slitted sheet toproject beyond the stepped abutment and then sinuiltaneously applyingpressure to the strands ljacent to the several steps in the abutment. 5This is preferably applied at substantially the center of each strandand has the effect of forming an angular bend at the poiutof hearing andalso bending the strand over the end of its respective abutment. As themetal has 9 already been slitted, it is obvious that the slightestpressure is required to bend the strands. To hold the slitted sheetduring this expanding operation, the stepped abutment is preferablyformed with a series of slioulders 1:, each of which is adapted toengage with a projecting edge of a strand immediately adjacent to theone that is being operated upon. Thus the strands are held in accuratealinement with an abutment, which insures accurate bending.

From the description above given it will be understood that theexpanding of the sheet is accomplished by successive steps, in each ofwhich an oblique series of strands is operated upon. It is further to beobserved that for each succeeding operation of expanding thesheetslongitudinall y thereof the detents equal the length of onestrand. Thus the length of the sheet is unlimited, beingdeterminedmerely by the number of successive expanding operations.

Another advantage of this method of expanding is that the meshes may bebent to a small or great extent, as desired, by merely changing thedegree of movement of the expanders or lateral pressure.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. The process of forming expandedmetal which consists in first slitting the sheet to form a parallelseries of strands,and ind ucting a portion of each strand andsubsequently expanding a successive series of strands transversely tothe plane of the slitted sheet.

2. The process of expanding metal which consists in first slitting thesheet to form parallel series of strands, and indenting a portion ofeach strand and in subsequently expanding successive oblique series 'ofstrands transversely t0 the plane of the slitted sheet.

3. The process of forming expanded metal which consists in firstslitting the sheet to form parallel series of strands and insubsequently expanding by lateral pressure applied transversely to theplane of the slitted sheet to each individual strand at a pointintermediate to the ends thereof.

4:. The process of formingexpanded metal which consists in firstslitting the sheet to form parallel series of strands and insubsequently expanding successive oblique series of strands by lateralpressure applied to each individual strand transversely to the plane ofthe slitted sheet at a point intermediate to its ends, whereby anangular bend is formed in the strand at the point at which the pressureis applied.

5. The process of forming expanded metal which consists in slitting acontinuouslyfed sheet to form parallel series of strands, and indentinga portion of each strand, and subsequently expanding said sheet insuccessive steps.

6. The process of forming expanded metal which consists in slitting andindenting a sheet to form parallel series of strands and having one edgeof each. form a projecting shoulder and in subsequently expandin saidstrands by lateral pressure applied to each, and in holding the adjacentunexpanded strands by engagement with its said projecting shoulder.

'7. The process of forming expanded metal which consists in slitting thesheet to form parallel series of strands and indenting a portion of eachstrand and in subsequently intermittently feeding said sheetlongitudinally and in successively expanding the strands alternatelywith the feeding movement.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES .J V. HAYES.

Witnesses:

J As. P. BARRY, H. C. SMITH.

